Brassiere



March 1, 1960 T. B. SCHAUMER 2,926,668

- BRASSIERE Filed Sept. 28, 1956 E6; v E60 6 0 67 88 INVENTOR. 71/50 3, SCH/970M636 United States Patent BRASSIERE Theo B. Schaumer, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Munsingwear, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Application September 28, 1956, Serial N 0. 612,645 Claims. (Cl. 128-465) circling band to which the cups are fastened holds the garment in place about the body of the user. This bodyencircling band may be either narrow or wide, the latter providing a long brassiere. Such long brassieres are often useful'for additional figure control.

When articles of clothing having low-cut backs, such as evening gowns, are worn, the rear portion of the bodyencircling band may be revealed. Some attempts have been made to solve this problem by reducing generally the width of the band. This requires straps for appropriate support for the brassiere; the body-encircling band is then not strong enough to hold the brassiere snugly and in place upon the body of the user. And, of course, such an expedient precludes the use of a long brassiere.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a brassiere of the long type that can be comfortably and properly worn in connection with strapless and backless garments. In order to accomplish this result, there is provided a U-shaped wire structure at the rear of the garment, defining a depression in the upper edge of the body-encircling band. This wire structure has opposite arms affixed to the side pieces of the brassiere. The ends of the band are formed in the front at the area between the cups, and detachable fasteners are provided at this location.

Another object of this invention is to provide a brassiere of this character that includes novel supplemental reinforcing members for holding the brassiere in place about the body of the user.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a pictorial view showing the front of a brassiere, in position on the wearer;

Fig. 2 is a pictorial view showing the rear portion of the brassiere;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation of the brassiere as seen from the inside thereof;

Figs. 4 and 5 are further enlarged fragmentary sectional views taken along planes indicated, by lines 4-4 and 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a pictorial view of the wire reinforcing member.

The brassiere 10 comprises an elongate body-encircling band 11 provided with cups 12 and 13 aflixed symmetrically at the upper portions of the opposite ends of the body-encircling band 11. The ends of the band form respectively,

opposed vertical edges 14 and 15 which are brought together at the front of the wearer. The edges 14 and 15 extend vertically from the area at the hollow between the breasts to the lower horizontal edge 1.6 of the bodyencricling band 11.

Affixed adjacent the respective edges 14 and 15 are detachable fastening means. In the present instance, the fastening means comprise a series of spaced hooks 17 along one edge 14 and eyes (not shown) secured along the other edge 15. Any other type of suitable fastening means can be provided.

Since the cups 12 and 13 extend above the upper edges of the ends 14 and 15 of the band, supplemental fastening means is provided between the opposed upper portions of the cups. The fastening means comprises a hook is, a strip 19 securing the hook to one cup 12, and a loop 20 secured to the other cup 13 detachably engageable with the hook.

The body-encircling band 11 conveniently may be formed of any fabric suitable for use in garments of this character. That portion of the band immediately beneath the cups 12 and 13 may be of relatively inelastic fabric, such as lace 21. That portion of the body-encircling band 11 falling at the sides and rear of the garment may comprise two-way stretch elastic material 22, preferably cut on the bias to impart suitable elastic qualities to the garment.

The width of the band 11 diminishes slightly from the sides of the garment to the rear. However, the width is drastically reduced at the central portion of the back of the garment, as at 23, the reduced width 23 being formed by a U-shaped recess or depression or notch 24 formed in the band and opening upwardly thereof.

For reinforcing the band at the back of the garment,

as well as the edge of recess 24, a U-shaped wire reinforcing member 25 is provided. The reinforcing member 25 overlies the edge of the recess 24. In order to affix the reinforcing member 25 to the body-encircling band iii, a piping or generally tubular lining 26 for the member 25 is provided. The piping 26 has projecting longi tudinal edges 26a (Fig. 5) extending inwardly of the edge 24 on the inside of the garment. These edges 26a are caught by a line of stitching 27. The line of stitching 27 conveniently also affixes one edge of a finishing tape 28 that is placed over the edges 26a.

The piping 26 prevents irritation that might be caused by the wire reinforcing member 25 and is congruent therewith. However, in order further to reduce any irritation to the skin, small triangular pads 29 and 30 are aflixed to the inside of the brassiere and overlie the ends of the wire reinforcing member 25. The triangular pads 29 and 30 are located at the corners 31 and 32 formed by the ends of the Ushaped recess 24 and the top edge 33 of the body-encircling band 11.

The U-shaped wire reinforcing member 25 is stout enough adequately to sustain the longitudinal tension in the body-encircling band 11, yet it provides a substantial exposed area at the back of the wearer, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2. When the garment is donned, the arms of the wire reinforcing member are spread slightly apart. The forces of flexure pull the arms of the member all the way to the corners 31 and 32 firmly into place on the body of the user.

The connecting portion of the wire reinforcing mem- .ber 25 is preferably provided with a slight angularity 43 (Fig. 6), the apex of the angle being directed inwardly.

V This forms a central protuberance conforming to the usual hollow at the back of the wearer.

In order to provide appropriate support for the breast cups 12 and 13, wire reinforcing members 40 (Fig. 3) are provided. These wire reinforcing members 40 extend about the lower arcs of the respective cups and are aflixed to the top edge of the body-encircling band 11 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the U-shaped reinforcing member 25.

' In order to preserve the transverse or vertical configuration of the garment, a series of stays 41 (Fig. 3) is provided, extending from the loweredge 16 of the bodyencircling band 11 to the upper edge 33. These stays are covered by tubular sleeves 42 appropriately sewn to the body-encircling band 11.

Elastic webbing 43 at the lower edge 16 of the bodyencircling band 11 provides an appropriate finish to the garment. Two symmetrically disposed elastic webbing strips 44 provide appropriate finish between the ends of the U-shaped recess 24 and the outer portions of the cups 12 and 13.

The inventor claims:

1. A strapless brassiere comprising a body encircling member having front and rear areas adapted to lie adjacent the front and back body portions respectively of a wearer, a pair of breast cups carried by said front area of said body encircling member, said rear area of said body encircling member having an upwardly open notch generally of U-shape formed in said member, and an integral resilient generally U-shaped reinforcing member secured around the edge of said notch and being substantially congruent therewith, whereby when the brassiere is secured about the body of a wearer, the resiliency of said reinforcing member serves to assist in holding the brassiere in proper position on the body of the wearer.

2. A strapless brassiere as set forth in claim 1, wherein said body encircling member has two ends, and cooperating separable fastening means are carried by said ends for removably securing the brassiere about the body of a wearer.

3. A strapless brassiere as set forth in claim 2, wherein said two ends of said body encircling member are lo cated in the front area of said body encircling member intermediate said breast cups when said separable fastening means are secured together.

4. A strapless brassiere as set forth in claim 1, wherein said resilient reinforcing member is a wire, and said reinforcing member has in its central portion an upwardly projecting intermediate bend to conform to the hollow at the back of a wearer when the brassiere is secured about the body of a wearer.

5. A strapless under-garment comprising a torsoencircling element including a pair of breast receiving pockets, side portions, and back portions including centrally disposed, laterally spaced substantially vertically extending margins, and an integral resilient generally U-shaped member fixed with the bight adjacent the lower ends of the margins and a leg attached along each margin for maintaining the upper margin of the undergarment under tension.

References Cited in the file of this patent I UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,982,657 Graves Dec. 4, 1934 2,031,022 Wipperman Feb. 18, 1936 2,045,401 Mowry June 23,1936 2,343,631 Bailey Mar. 7, 1944 2,588,603 Anderson Mar. 11, 1952 2,760,199 Champagne Aug. 28. 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 147,470 Australia July 22, 1952 

